Martin Lambie-Nairn has died

The YouTube channel set up has had a few more clips added today, including the 1991 BBC1 globe ident, which is probably the highest quality video of the ident available online (playback can be increased to 720).

Seeing as it has the BBC logo at the bottom, I'm assuming that must have been recorded internally at the BBC, as the logo was added live.

Still facinated by that introduction. Its one where you'll like to see the jotter pad of doodles and concepts evolution before arriving at the final graphic design - which I know was based on a tiny part of the BBC coat of arms.

Watching at normal speed, there's an awful lot going on before the outward rings halfway up the mast, and yet, thanks to the You Tube pause button, it's basically the same electronic beams being repeated in a slightly different way. Very clever.

Still, think the music (George Fenton?) is still just that side of bombastic and over the top.

I don't really remember it on television but I've always thought it looks very Soviet (less Nazi as others have said).

Your wish is my command... taken from MLN's book. I hope this is permissible as the book is long out of print and not readily available.

I never really saw the 'Nazi' symbol in the actual titles, but that second of the four possible logos really could be the emblem of an extreme-right group.

Aha, that part of the coat of arms represents Jupiter, which presumably explains why one of BBC News' computer systems is called Jupiter!


That is a great title sequence, so much going on in so short a time - it comes on screen, does its thing magnificently and then f**ks off again. Perfect

And Martin Lambie Nairn said he wanted the music to be softer. I might think the final composition was over the top (as he did) but I really can't imagine any piece of music, slower and down a key working in tamden with those visuals.

It's an interesting point. I like the sequence and probably like the music a little bit more than most (particularly the way it resolves when the rings radiate out) but watching it with the sound muted is quite a different experience, you can actually take in the visuals properly rather than feel like it's being blasted into your face.

Interesting to read about how that was Lambie-Nairn's first work with Daniel Barber, who directed the 1991 idents.

I'm quite a George Fenton fan really and I would argue he did more for BBC News music than David Lowe ever has. Regardless of that, it shows what a talented composer Fenton is if one of the greatest British news themes of all time was composed "at the last minute."

Well someone would have done it sooner or later